For the Record – Projecting Positivity with Dana Townsend

Marwa Elgabry – October 1st, 2018

Dana Townsend, Founder of Project Positive.

(@projectingpositive / Instagram)

As we near Canada’s Mental Illness Awareness Week, one B.C. woman is making strides to foster positivity and shine the spotlight on all of the good in the world. Dana Townsend founded Project positive with a mission to share the stories of people who are taking action to create social impact, and to cultivate an uplifting environment for those that need it most.

Townsend points to the influence of media consumption on mental and emotional health. She says that focusing on the good in the world can help people adopt a positive mindset, and improve their overall well-being.

“There are very happy things you can go and look at to make yourself feel better. So I think that just remembering that even on your bad days, better ones are gonna come, and sometimes it’s just changing your outlook.” – Dana Townsend, Project Positive Founder

The project was launched on Instagram as a hub to pay tribute to social initiatives. Townsend says seeing these real-life stories has opened her eyes to the good in the world. She hopes the project can instill the same happiness and inspiration she felt, in other peoples’ hearts.

“One story that struck out to me a lot was this one girl who started a company selling lollipops. Her name is Lily, and she started it when she was 14. She was so young when she wanted to start making a difference. She sells these lollipops and makes them all herself, and gives 100% of the money to charity.” – Dana Townsend, Project Positive Founder

Lilly, Founder of Lillypops.
(@projectingpositive / Instagram)

Quote by Rupi Kaur from her poetry book, The Sun and her Flowers.
(@projectingpositive / Instagram)

By shedding light on stories like this, Townsend aims to inspire others to take action too. She explained that people may succumb to feelings of hopelessness in the face of tragedies across the world. The question “how can one person make a difference” is one that Townsend aims to tackle by inspiring others.

“It’s not always the big things that can make a big difference, you can start off and do small things. And I just want to inspire others to start doing those small things by letting them see what other people have done.” – Dana Townsend – Project Positive Founder

The project’s inception stems from Townsend’s own personal battle with mental health. She says she found light in the dark, by using the adversity she faced as inspiration to create positive change in the world.

“I decided I never want anyone to have to feel this down and out. I want to be able to share this with everyone; how I was able to work through my own problems just by having a positive outlook.” – Dana Townsend, Project Positive Founder

In a last piece of advice to listeners, Townsend encouraged people to be mindful of the journey to mental wellness. She emphasized that its a step by step process, and wants people to remember that each day is a new chance to be achieve a positive mindset.

Project Positive aims to show others that small things can create a big difference in the world. This illustration, sourced from the Project Positive Instagram page, represents the large-scale impact of small steps to action.
(@projectingpositive / Instagram)